


blues for the dead end street

by fleurys



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben is llya, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Poe is Napoleon, Rey is Gaby, The Man From UNCLE AU I promised, they're agents and they kill people fyi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:47:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23774083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurys/pseuds/fleurys
Summary: Poe Dameron, an agent from Black Squadron, and Kylo Ren, from the Knights of Ren, find themselves on a joint mission to foil Sheev Palpatine's mysterious criminal organization's plan. For that they'll need the help from Palpatine's granddaughter, Rey.
Relationships: Poe Dameron & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron & Rey, Poe Dameron & Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 15
Kudos: 32





	blues for the dead end street

**Author's Note:**

> So—oh, my god, this is so scary. This is my first time posting something here. I always saw ao3 like such an intimidating place and was truly terrified of ever putting up anything here despite the fact I've always wanted to. And now that I'm finally doing it, it's intimidating and exciting at the same time.
> 
> I've had this idea for months now. I started this in 2019 but actually left it to a side because I didn't feel—I guess, prepared? to show it to the world, and also because I'm very self-conscious about everything I write in English since it's not my first language. But not too long ago I started working on it again, and here's the first chapter.
> 
> If you know The Man From U.N.C.L.E. then you know how this is gonna go. I'm planning on changing stuff but the story remains the same.
> 
> Anyway, here's the first chapter of this story. I hope you guys enjoy it.

_No on_ e's _laughing at God when they're being pointed at with a gun_ , Sheev Palpatine always says.

It's a saying that, to this day, remains ingrained in Rey Palpatine's mind, circling around and bringing back memories of her old life with her grandfather. In Rome, Vienna, Amsterdam, or wherever she'd had to stay in order to accompany him during his business affairs. He repeated those words constantly during his whisky-filled get togethers with his fellow partners, while she sat there beside him, acting like his heir, an empty shell that someday would be taking over his criminal empire, and pretending she wasn't sick of every single one of them. That she didn't wish they all were dead. Especially her grandfather.

That saying was also the last thing a lot of people heard before he killed them.

And now, after she left that life behind—or, rather she _escaped_ from it— and was expertly hidden in a place where she'd never be found by him, those words haunted her. Her dreams are always of death and destruction, of tears and pleads of mercy, and the memories of all the things she saw in the life she had and never dares to talk about anymore. It keeps her awake at night, takes away sleep just like it took away everything else from her.

She also dreams about the night she left, how desperate and terrified she'd been of being by herself and feeling like everyone was following her. It's a horrible feeling to relive, a terrible sensation of dread. That night, when she took off and managed to leave without leaving a single trace of her whereabouts, it had been the most difficult 12 hours of her life, but every day she survives away from them, she's sure it's worth it.

Even if, deep down, she knows it's only a matter of time to come back and being pointed at with that gun her grandfather always talks about.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me," Poe Dameron says, staring at the file Snap Wexley had just given him in disbelief. It had the numbers 21580 written in red ink, and inside there were all sorts of information about his new mission as an agent for the _Black Squadron_ organization, a CIA branch created in the 50s to work on _special_ cases, such as the one he's holding right now. Snap shakes his head and Poe rolls his eyes, shaking the folder with irritation. "Is this really my new mission? To be a _princess_ finder?"

Jessika Pava, one of Poe's co-workers and an incredible agent, is sitting carelessly behing the two men with her feet up her desk, snickering. Poe glares at her and she winks.

"Don't be like that, Dameron," Amilyn Holdo says, appearing out of nowhere and entering the _Black Squadron_ headquarters in her always elegant pace. Upon the arrival of their boss, the agents around sit straight and try to look like they hadn't been fooling around a minute before, including Pava, who is suddenly with her head stuck into the papers on her bureau.

Dressed in a immaculate black pants with a violet-colored dress shirt, the older woman is imposing and terrifying; the rest of the agents in _Black Squadron_ always talk about how she could crush all of their heads if she wanted to. That's how terrifying she is to everyone, except perhaps for Poe.

Amilyn and Poe have always had some sort of animosity between them. She believes him to be unstable and a bit of a troublemaker, not to mention his thief-turned-agent status, which didn't really help their relationship at all. She doesn't trust him. Poe, on the other hand, thinks she doesn't take enough risks in an already hazardous situation like their actual jobs. Needless to say, they don't really get along well. But Holdo is Poe's superior, so he has no other option but to suck it up and obey.

Of course, sometimes he just can't help himself.

"I just thought I was already ready for missions a little more—" he starts, trying not to sound as annoyed as he really feels.

"This is a very important mission, Dameron," Holdo puntuacted calmly as she comes closer to him and Snap, who suddenly seems a lot more tense. Probably because he knows a face off between Amilyn and Poe could be coming at any given moment. "This young woman is of highly importance for our plans against Palpatine and—"

"Yes, I know who Rey Johnson is. I read this," Poe says, showing off the file on his hand. Amilyn tightens her jaw, but Poe—as always— ignores the signs of her boss' loss of patience and carries on. "But my last mission also consisted on locating someone else and bringing them to you"

"This mission is different," Holdo answers simply. Poe narrows his eyes.

"Why?"

"Because the stakes are higher," she says, crossing her arms against her chest. "Palpatine's getting more and more dangerous, and he's _still_ untraceable despite our efforts. _She_ knows a lot about how and where he's moving, she can help us get to him"

Poe said nothing, not being able to deny it because he knew she was right about one thing: Palpatine's mysterious organization has been operating under the radar for years now and gaining a lot of power. He's believed to be an Empire symphatizer and working tirelessly for the cause, and his connections to different illegal companies have been researched by the best agents and, still, he always manages to run above the law. That old man sure was incredibly elusive.

 _Black Squadron_ has been under that case for three years now, and that time they only managed to get a few leads that eventually never really led to anything they didn't know already—until now.

Word was that there had been a breach in Palpatine's security after her unknown granddaughter escaped. She was the one who was supposed to continue that legacy, but suddenly the woman disappeared and Palpatine never knew of her again. The entire Squadron thinks she's dead, probably killed by her grandfather's enemies. Still, the disappearance gave them a golden opportunity to get important information from close sources about the organization, but still there was a long way to go.

Enter this Rey Johnson person, Poe's new mission. She is believed to have been a woman who was close to Sheev's granddaughter, and whose propinquity with the criminal heiress gave her full knowledge about everything regarding Palpatine's MO. She is probably, a big piece of the puzzle, and someone they desperately need by their side.

And yes, such an important task put on his shoulders should make Poe proud, but the thing is that he's not interested in looking for this woman. He already did that with tons of other potential sources, people who claimed to be even closer to Palpatine than this Rey woman, and it had always led to nothing at all. Now he wants something different, he wants to be in on the real action, the dirty work other agents like Jessika Pava and Suralinda Davos get. He wants to be considered more than just a tracking dog after all those years of dedicating his life to this cause.

Amilyn senses Poe's discontent despite her answers, so she begrudgingly rests a hand on his shoulder, making him frown in complete horror. She never does that, not even when he does something good. The closest he's ever gotten to such gesture has been a—rather stiff— handshake.

"I know you're not happy, Poe," she starts, looking into his eyes. He can see the understanding in hers. It's frustrating how comforting it is. "But I need you to trust with this one. This is the big one, and we need to get there sooner than anyone else. You'll get her and we'll see each other in Berlin, and we'll work together after that".

Poe's mouth dropped open in utter shock at her words, and he heard the surprised noises from everyone else in the room like a faraway affair. Amilyn Holdo offering to join him on a mission was a big deal, since she always worked alone and let the others do the same. It's a privilege and he knows that.

Blinking to snap himself out of it, he immediately nods and a smile appears on Amilyn's face. She imitates him and a pulls back, turning around and starting to walk towards her office.

"Hey, boss," Poe calls to her and she looks back at him, expectantly. He stays there, partially frozen. He is grateful, so grateful with this woman for the trust and the chance to prove himself he's given her, even if just a few seconds ago he felt the exact opposite; but he doesn't know how to express that, especially to someone like her. So he just swallows thickly and stands straight, lifting his chin before saying. "Thank you"

It's dumb and pathetic and he's sure his co-workers are making fun of him, but it's definitely all he can muster to say right now.

At the other side, Holdo smiles enigmatically and nods again, resuming her walk.

Before disappearing behind the door to her office, Poe hears her voice again talking to him. "See you in Berlin, Dameron"

* * *

The messages arrive late at night, and the sound wakes her up with a start. Rey reaches out to grab the device she keeps under her mattress with shaky hands, although all of her senses are alert and ready for anything needed. It's not like she's not used to get messages at this time of hour, she's been getting them for months now. Plus, she had been having another of her recurring nightmares, so if anything, this had been some type of twisted blessing. The ones only people like Rey knows, and the only ones she can ever expect.

After checking her messages she realizes there are two of them, both sent by the same person—the one who always checks on her. But it's the content of said messages the ones that make her jump out of her bed and her heartrate rise. With shallowy breathing, she re-reads them, making sure she's not seeing things. But she knows, and she also knows it was meant to happen. They were always going to find her.

_Black Squadron is coming to you._

_You know what to do._

She looks up and stares at the window of her apartment, a simple one that a mechanic like her could have on a place like this. Rey stumbles to it and looks at the empty streets covered in darkness, the bulbs of the street lamps off because no one bothers to change them. The only light comes from the new moon up in the sky, so she understands that, even if there is someone out there watching her and waiting for her, there is no way Rey will ever see them from this far.

Also, there is no way she will escape, because that's not what she has to do.

Slowly, Rey leans her forehead against the cold glass of the window and closes her eyes. She inhales and exhales, trying to calm herself down, to make the lump in her throat disappear. _This is what needs to happen_ , she tell herself, _this is what was meant to happen_. And it's not a lie, she's not lying to herself there, but even after carefully planning what will happen next the fear of coming back into that world she hates so much, her grandfather's horrible world, is tearing her apart from the inside out.

A long time passes before she finds herself calm and collected again. She moves away from the window and comes back to the bed, where her communication device lies forgotten. She takes it again and types a quick reply, one that she sends right away.

_See you soon._

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought about it. Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. If you wish, you can check the other works I have—they're all twitfics— on my twitter: @driversfilm. Thank you so much for reading! ♡


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